In the article “What's In It For You Neighbor” by Debe Maxwell she discusses how big of an impact neighborhood homes can have on each other. Many times people fret that the homes next to theirs will affect their home's value, but many people don't realize that their home affects their neighbor's home value as well. This fact is very important for sellers because what your neighbor's garage, yard, or sidewalk looks like could cause a buyer to have concerns about your home. Many sellers don't want to address this issue with their neighbors and as Debe says, "... they just ‘hope’ that their prospective buyers won’t notice". If you are one of these buyers there are many things you can do to increase the value of your home and of your neighborhood. Debe recommends that...

“* If you have any siding on your home, keep up the maintenance on the exterior by pressure washing when you notice discoloration.

* While you have your pressure washer out (or have someone doing it for you or while you’re using a rental), use it on your sidewalk and driveway.  You won’t believe the difference it makes in the appearance of your home from the street.

* Any rotten wood on your home?  Have rotten wood repaired or replaced, and repainted.

* Do you find yourself becoming complacent about the kids’ toys in the driveway or front yard?  You may not be hosting guests or preparing for prospective buyers to come through your home but, your neighbors are!  Being a good neighbor is also beneficial to you by keeping everything in its place–less hassle for you and yours!

* Keep your lawn mowed; tall grass makes prospective buyers think that the neighbors don’t care about the neighborhood and will generally move to another community where the neighbors DO care.

* Keep your landscaping manicured.  Fresh flowers and trimmed shrubs not only make your yard look better but, look inviting for prospective new residents.

* We all carry our doggie bags while walking our 4-legged friends; if you see paper trash on the street or sidewalk or even in a neighbors yard, pick it up and dispose of it.

* Keep your garage clean or keep the door closed! A messy garage leads prospective new residents to think that the homes in the community are too small or don’t have enough storage.”

With these helpful tips in mind, sellers should begin to think what they can do to improve the value of their home; whether it be confronting your neighbor about their lawn being overgrown or working on YOUR overgrown lawn, remember buyers aren't just looking at your house they are looking at ALL of the neighborhood homes. Another important tip to remember is try to think about neighbors that might be trying to sell their home because the look of your home will surely affect their sale. Besides, if you keep your home in nice shape and help the neighborhood homes to be more valuable; then once you try to sell your home someday you will already have a head start on making the sale happen.

Debe also mentions that if you allow your neighborhood to have low-valued homes then what will that do to your home's value? So by being a good neighbor and keeping your home in nice shape, it could increase the value of your neighbor's home thereby increasing the value of your home. But, this can also work backwords meaning that if you don't keep your home in nice shape and it decreases the value of your neighbor's home then it will decrease the value of your home. So be sure to keep your lawn trimmed, sidewalk cleared, garage cleaned(or at least have the door shut), flowers and landscaping looking nice, siding looking nice, and yard cleaned. This way it will keep your home valuable and your neighbors as well.

Article Source: Debe Maxwell - Search Charlotte Homes for Sale - Charlotte NC Neighborhoods (iCharlotteRealEstate.com Savvy + Company Real Estate):

Michelle Gordon is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty - Grand Rapids Michigan - voted the best Real Estate company by readers poll 2009 - 2010 in the Grand Rapids Magazine. You may find Michelle on facebook, twitter or linked in and she invites you to join her.